Making Mother’s Day Good for Mother Earth

I have such fond memories of Mother’s Day. I would get up early and my Dad and I would make breakfast after sneaking past my Mom’s bedroom. I actually believed that she had no idea what we were doing, that she couldn’t hear me clanging pans and pots around in the kitchen. After a bit of noise, giggles and strips of bacon we would burst into her room with a tray of delectable treats, fresh flowers and presents obnoxiously shouting at her, “HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!”. Then, after she opened her gifts we would leave her there to eat breakfast alone in her bed. In hind sight I don’t know how fun it is to eat alone in your room while you can hear your family downstairs enjoying themselves together. But I truly thought it was her favorite thing, and she knew that so she let us do it every. single. year.

These beloved traditions don’t need to die as we become more conscious of the environment, but they do need to be tweaked a bit. If we shift a couple of our ideas this Mother’s Day then we can help the Earth and make Momma feel special. Here are some super easy ways to keep your celebrations Green this Mother’s Day.

Skip the wrapping paper.

My brother sort of streamlined my interest in a no waste lifestyle. I’m not saying that we live no waste, but we try hard to cut back a little more every trip to the store. I bring him up because the first year he became interested I bought him some cool reusable bags of different kinds. I was sitting there with the gifts in front of me and non-recycled wrapping paper in front of me thinking, “Well this is a bit redundant.” I know that wrapping paper is important to a lot of people, gift wrapping is in fact an art form all its own. But most people, aside from my great grandmother, rip right through their wrapping paper to see what’s inside.

When you’re about to wrap gifts take a look around the house. Repurposing random stuff around the house is my favorite way to feel better about the waste that I make. Not only do I shamelessly save all of the wrapping paper that is given to me to use later, I also like to wrap gifts in newspapers or shopping bags or whatever you can find that is made of a foldable stock of paper.

Stay home.

It’s common to take mom out to the ocean or out to brunch. Growing up in the land of the 5 and 405, I know that freeways get clogged up and families end up sitting in their cars. Nowadays car rides aren’t the family bonding scenarios that they once were, now it’s an excuse for people to stare into their phones which only separates us all from one another.

This year let’s think about keeping the celebrations around the house. Have a picnic in the back yard, take a walk as a family around the neighborhood or even play a board game around the coffee table. Spend time as a family with out driving at all, this will cut down on the emissions put out by your car as well as help your family connect with each other instead of their screens.

Keep it local.

Moms deserve beautiful flowers on Mother’s Day because flowers are a symbol of love and gratitude, but do they have to be store bought. When I began to consider the environment in my daily purchases I tried to think of the journey that the item I’m thinking of buying has been on. The longer the journey, the more pollution the environment has absorbed to get it to you. I know, you’re thinking even if I don’t buy it won’t the item still be in the store and be bought by someone else? Banish this from your mind! You’re not in charge of everyone else, you’re in charge of yourself. Cultivate the soil around yourself little flower, others will see how rich it becomes and want to know your secrets.

Instead of buying flowers at the store think about other options. These options change depending on where you’re living. The family can go on a hike together and collect wildflowers, or maybe there is a neighbor who grows the most exquisite dahlias or roses and wouldn’t mind bartering something for 1 or 2 of them. Another fabulous idea is to plant something together whether it be a flower, herb, a vine of vegetables or a fruit tree. Learning to garden is valuable and watching something grow as a family that you planted out of love for each other is perhaps even more valuable.

I hope that these tips help you along your journey to celebrating Mom while also helping Mother Earth support our future generations. ❤ Happy Mother’s Day!

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2 thoughts on “Making Mother’s Day Good for Mother Earth”

For years now my little brother has been wrapping gifts he gives in plastic grocery bags. It is sort of his thing. Whenever we see the plastic bag wrap job we all know who it’s from! I’ve stopped buying wrapping paper too. But I use brown craft/shipping paper if I need to. Santa borrows from us for xmas. And some of my yarns or twines. Other gifts we try to use the container as part of the gift. Like a new plant pot with some seeds, a shovel, and gloves for a kids bday we recently attended. There are so many creative and wonderful ideas! 🙂 this post made me smile!